Hall Of Fame CB Jimmy Johnson Dies At 86

Jimmy Johnson, a Hall of Fame cornerback who starred for the 49ers over 16 seasons in the 1960s and ’70s, died Wednesday night, his family announced. Johnson was 86.

Among 49ers cornerbacks, Johnson set the standard in terms of seasons played and interceptions. Although Ronnie Lott tallied more INTs as a 49er (51), the legendary safety changed positions (from corner) early in his career. No 49ers cornerback comes especially close to Johnson’s career INT total (47). Only Jerry Rice played in more games as a 49er (238) than Johnson’s 213. The team retired the Hall of Famer’s No. 37 jersey.

Johnson’s 47 INTs came during a career in which quarterbacks regularly steered clear of the coverage ace. Johnson did not earn his first Pro Bowl honor until his age-31 season (1969), but he landed four more invites and added five All-Pro nods (three first-team selections). The first-team honors spanned Johnson’s age-32, age-33 and age-34 seasons.

Johnson also spent early-career time at safety and at wide receiver. The 49ers tried the 6-foot-2 talent at wideout in 1962; he totaled 627 yards and four TDs that year. It was not too hard to predict Jimmy Johnson would display elite athleticism, as his older brother — Rafer Johnson — was a storied competitor in the decathlon, winning the gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Jimmy Johnson starred in the 110-meter hurdles and long jump at UCLA, winning an NCAA title in the hurdles the same year Rafer won gold in Italy.

“Only rarely would other teams’ quarterbacks even look his direction, and more often than not regretted the decision if they challenged him,” Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said (via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco) of Johnson’s cornerback performance.

Johnson made vital contributions to the 49ers’ early-1970s surge, which produced three straight playoff berths and two consecutive appearances in the NFC championship game. Johnson was in the starting lineup for each of San Francisco’s five postseason contests in that span. Johnson’s play remained strong enough he started until age 38. Johnson ranks in the top 20 for starts by an NFL DB. Most of the players ahead of him on that list logged multiple seasons at safety.

Much of Johnson’s prime was spent on struggling 49ers teams, limiting his exposure decades before the NFL greenlit free agency. The 49ers, who selected Johnson sixth overall in 1961, lost at least six games each season from 1961-69. Paul Zimmerman, the late Sports Illustrated NFL writer, called Johnson the greatest defensive back in NFL history when compiling his all-time team earlier this century. Although Johnson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994, he was not named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary Team when that surfaced in 2019.